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Slang – Dicky bow

British English Slang – Dicky bow or Dickie bow

Meaning – A bow tie. A bow tie is a necktie in the form of a bow with two loops.

This slang expression is British English slang that has evolved from Cockney rhyming slang. The word dicky is rhyming slang for shirt (from dicky dirt = shirt). The bow tie looks like a bow on a shirt and this is how the expression dicky bow came about.

Bow ties are formal wear and usually worn with a dinner jacket. A dinner jacket (UK English) or tuxedo (American English) is a semi-formal evening suit usually worn at weddings, balls, proms or other formal occasions.

You might need to wear a dicky bow if you attend a black tie event. A black tie event is some kind of formal or semi-formal occasion such as an opera or ballet performance.